Page 32 of Alpha's Arranged Mate

Before she could finish the question, he gripped hold of her hand and held it in both of his own. “Charlotte Silverdale, will you do me the honor of becoming not only my wife, but my mate?”

Though she opened her mouth, she had no clue what to say. She closed it again and continued to stare at him.

“Not just for the sake of the alliance, but for us,” he added, squeezing her hand tighter as he kept his eyes firmly fixed upon hers.

Lottie's heart raced. She did not even dare to blink for fear that if she did, he might disappear, and she would realize it had all been a dream. Could this really be happening? If it was, could she really say yes?

Her mind raced, looking for any possible reason she might have to say no. And when she found it, she blurted, "What about your children?"

Braxton stiffened. The pain that darkened his gaze was almost unbearable for Lottie to witness, but she had to. She would not look away this time. She needed the truth.

"They have been without a mother for far too long," he admitted, shaking his head. "A father, too."

His words clawed at her heart, and she knew he was surely right, yet she couldn't stop from saying, "I do not wish to replace their true mother."

"You could never!" Braxton snarled, and for a second she thought she had angered him. Then he added, "You would never abandon anyone, least of all two defenseless pups. You would be far more to them than their mother ever was."

Lottie's stomach twisted all over again. Was that really what she wanted?

Deep down she knew that she really had no choice. The alliance was to be made whether she liked it or not. She couldn't very well go to Dash now and tell him that she had not put her name into the box. That would only cause more harm.

But at least this way they could both feel as though the decision was theirs. Here, alone in the hallway, Lottie could almost forget everything else.

And it was as he knelt before her, her hand wrapped in both of his, that she whispered, "Yes, I will marry you."

Before she really knew what was happening, Lottie was swept up into his huge, muscular arms. He dragged her right back into the alcove where he had hidden to listen to her argument with Ray and forced her against the wall.

If his lips had not come down on hers in the way that they did, she might have misconstrued his actions as an attack. Instead, the thrill of his kiss made her tear at his clothes, her claws itching to come forth and score across his perfect flesh in her she-wolf's eagerness to have her mate.

For several minutes they kissed and grappled each other, clawing at each other's clothes, ready to mate right there and then. Lottie wanted to scream at him to get on with it by the time he was done kissing and biting her neck. She was silenced only by his fingers slipping down the front of her jeans and into her panties.

The very tip of his middle finger slid down between her moist lips and dipped delicately inside her. He played teasingly with the entrance of her pussy and whispered in her ear, "Fuck, you're so wet."

His tone only made her gush, and she stroked the front of his jeans, gripping his rock-hard manhood through the material until he growled deep in his throat. "And you are so hard," she growled back at him. "Take me, Brax."

She angled her pelvis forward, inviting his finger deeper inside her even as she pressed her groin against his.

"Please, take me right here and now," she whimpered, growing impatient. The packs could have their alliance, but this, right here and now, was all for her.

Just as Braxton started to shove her jeans down over her hips, Lottie's ears pricked to the sound of boot steps coming closer.

"Fuck!" she gritted through her teeth, not only at the interruption, but at the way Braxton stroked her insides with a single, delicate fingering motion.

Then, just when she thought she might not be able to take any more, he slipped his finger out of her and whispered into her ear, "Not yet. The next time we make love, we shall be married. We shall do it right this time."

A mixture of disappointment and elation filled Lottie then, and though she hated the thought of having to wait, it also excited her. Leaning her forehead back against his with a deep sigh, she stated, "You are right."

Braxton slipped his fingers into the roots of her hair at the back of her neck and yanked, forcing her face to turn upward to his. He leaned in close and whispered against her lips, "I want our next time to be special."

And just like that, he kissed her, long and hard and passionate, causing her to hold her breath as a Silverdale guard wandered past, seemingly oblivious to their hiding place. The thrill of it only made her crave him more.

Chapter 15 - Braxton

The full moon rode high in the sky once more. Returned to the clearing where Lottie's name had been picked from the box, he was surprised at how much effort the Silverdales had put into the ceremony. It wasn't just to be a quick thing beneath the full moon with a few witnesses.

The clearing had been decorated with fairy lights in the largest oak tree, the branches overhanging the 'altar' of tree roots where they would be married. White, silver and pink ribbons and streamers had also been hung everywhere, and in the breeze they caught the light of the full moon, sparkling brilliantly.

An aisle had been formed down the center of the clearing with chairs on either side for the guests, but as of yet, Braxton realized, only one side had been filled. Though it looked slightly suspicious, he suspected the other side had been left empty for the rest of Dash's pack. There still seemed to be a few faces missing that he had come to recognize over his time with them.

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